Renzatic on 18/5/2016 at 01:45
I think of it as Doom as seen through a Quake III Arena lens. It's amazing how all of my Q3A/UT2k4 skills, once thought lost forever, came back to me while playing this game.
Since I've been on this whole record videos and post them on Youtube kick (I blame Henke), I decided to upload 5 minutes of gameplay to show off here. It turned out that the 5 minutes I caught ended up being among the tamer sections of the game I've seen in quite awhile. I'd probably skip it, but...eh. I've already uploaded it. Might as well show it off.
If it weren't for the fact that this is Doom, and everyone and their grandma knows exactly what to expect monster and environment-wise, I'd post a spoiler warning.
More will be coming. NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!
[video=youtube;yfs3zvDCc2g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfs3zvDCc2g[/video]
242 on 19/5/2016 at 11:48
I want it, but not for that price. Will have to wait at least few months or half a year I guess.
Renzatic on 19/5/2016 at 19:26
I bet you'll see it drop 10 bucks off during this summer Steam sale. It's worth picking up at that price, I think.
242 on 22/5/2016 at 11:36
Quote Posted by Renzatic
I bet you'll see it drop 10 bucks off during this summer Steam sale. It's worth picking up at that price, I think.
I guess it will be like 20 bucks off this summer, but anyway for now bought another meat grinder - RE6 instead, just for 15 bucks :)
Twist on 23/5/2016 at 16:57
DOOM is the ultimate Big Dumb Shooter. And boy is it fun.
Rather than repeat what I'm sure anyone paying any attention to this game has already read, I'll try to share a couple of different thoughts:
Significant parts of this Doom remind me of playing Thief a certain way. If you like playing Thief El Kabong style -- knocking everyone out so you can freely explore the level and find all the secrets and loot, there's a surprising similarity here.
Like most of the original Doom, once you clear a level of all enemies and open all the doors/shortcuts, you're (mostly) free to explore the entire level uninterrupted. I imagine people who like exploring every nook and cranny and finding all the secrets and collectables spend a lot more time in this phase than they spend in the combat phase.
In this post-combat phase, the levels in this Doom provide a ton of vertical exploration and clean, seamless mantling, which made me think of Thief. On multiple occasions, I was reminded of Thief-like vertical navigation puzzles. For example, I might see something interesting over there, but I can't immediately see how to get to it. Well, maybe if I drop down over here, jump across that chasm, then jump and mantle back up behind there... that sort of thing.
It varies per level, but in general, I think most levels feature enough secrets and subtle nooks and crannies to explore and discover that they might satisfy a surprising number of discerning Thief FM fans. Just play it on the easiest difficulty level if you hate the action and violence.
The other game it reminds me of is Hotline Miami. Like Hotline Miami, you have these relatively brief but intense combat sections, which require a satisfying rhythm and timing. But once that combat phase passes, the music changes and quiets as you exhale. Combining these contrasting experiences reminds me of the feeling I had when I finished a level in Hotline Miami, and the soundtrack changed to that soothing hum while I headed back to the exit, looking for any missed items or secrets along the way.
I've got some nitpicking criticisms, but that's more than enough of my blathering for now. The only other two things I want to mention quick are:
1) The multiplayer pretty much sucks. After trying the full version, I like it even less than I did during the beta.
2) The engine tech is freaking fantastic. Apparently even without Carmack they've got some wizards at id. I've never seen this much detail and activity onscreen at once without even the slightest hint of a framerate drop. It's really impressive tech. And the detailed levels are pretty big, without any obvious, discrete loading zones breaking things up. (I'm guessing the airlocks are kind of loading zones, but they're so quick and they blend into the level design so seamlessly you don't think of them as loading zones... I'm not even sure they are loading zones.)
Knowing Arkane is using this engine for Dishonored 2 makes me even more excited for that sequel.
catbarf on 24/5/2016 at 17:37
I just picked this up and I'm really pleasantly surprised- this is exactly what a modern take on a classic franchise should look like, and might even dethrone Wolfenstein: TNO as my favorite in that regard.
Like the old games, it's fast and frantic, but what I was not expecting at all is the amount of non-linearity. It's not just 'go find a keycard and return to this spot', but there are big sections in levels where you're given a number of discrete objectives and can accomplish them in any order you like, with multiple paths to get to each. The pacing is great, because these open areas let you go from calm to firefight at your leisure rather than being shuttled down a linear corridor. The game also has good variety in the geometry of setpiece areas, where to proceed you need to trigger a respawning-enemy-arena-fight.
But it's also taken cues from newer shooters in all the right ways. Weapon, suit, and ability upgrades give a sense of progression and open up lots of tactical and playstyle options in combat, achievement-esque side challenges reward you with more upgrade points, and optional timed arena challenges unlock new runes that give different buffs. I was initially really skeptical of the melee takedowns after experiencing their awkward inclusion in Serious Sam: BFE, but here it's a seamless part of the gameplay.
This is well worth getting for all the fans of 90s shooters on here.
Renzatic on 28/5/2016 at 16:48
The only thing I ended up not liking about it is that it too heavily leans upon an "empty hallways leading to an ambush in a big room obviously built for a fight" formula. One of the nice things about Doom was that there were enemies everywhere. You never knew what was lurking around the next corner. In Doom 4, it's obvious what's meant to be an arena, and what's going to happen there.
Still an excellent game, but it could've been even better if the leaned just a little bit more over to the oldschool in a couple of regards.
Volitions Advocate on 29/5/2016 at 20:00
(
http://www.pcgamer.com/doom-is-asking-important-questions-that-other-fpses-arent/)
This article sums up my feelings. I didn't expect to love this game as much as I do. I know it isn't perfect, but I still love it.
Quote:
Back then, as I saw controversy swirl around one of my favorite games, I felt grateful that I didn't see it that way. Doom was a positive force in my life. I was just another kid for whom games were more than just a hobby. They enriched my understanding of the world and of my own self; they were more than just fun. Doom, for example, was a game about quite literally conquering one's fears—you’re killing demons! And, in the end, there’s nothing they can do to stop you. You can try as many times as it takes until those scary Barons of Hell and whatever else are nothing to you anymore. I wish I always felt as determined in life as I felt playing that game. Of all the things I wouldn't have guessed the new Doom could re-capture, I never would have expected it to get that part so right. You wouldn't think a game called Doom could be so uplifting.
Twist on 29/5/2016 at 22:12
I'll write more later... right now I'd rather play than compose a post on a forum. But as enthusiastic as I was for the first 60%, as I expressed in my earlier post, I think repetition and linearity raise their ugly heads more and more as the game progresses. The first 40 to 50 percent of the game capture a rare magic, but I wonder if they were the last bits designed, and they didn't have the time to apply what they figured out at some point in development to the whole game.
